The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables researchers to produce large quantities a specific DNA sequence for further analysis in a relatively short time frame. PCR is nowadays a preferred methodology in research applications and in the detection of presence or absence of a target molecule, e.g. in clinical and diagnostic applications.
Technical progress has lead to compact benchtop instruments that enable automated high-precision PCR set-ups. Robotic liquid handling systems have been automated for the PCR set-up. Further, also processes preceding the PCR set-up have been automated, e.g. the extraction and purification of nucleic acid material from sample to be investigated, e.g. clinical samples, environmental samples, material for forensic medicine, etc. The automatization of these processes has lead to a reduction of costs due to lab personnel, and played a role in avoiding human errors leading to contamination of the devices and reagents, wrong pipetting steps and consequently incorrect results, etc.
There is, however, a permanent need to improve these methods and devices in order to eliminate any potential risk of contamination and/or misleading results as well as to accelerate existing methods to safe resources and time.